Good News About Sex and Marriage: Answers to Your Honest Questions About Catholic Teaching [Paperback]

Christopher West (Author), Charles J. Chaput O.F.M.Cap (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

The author, a diocesan director of marriage and family life, answers the questions about human sexuality and marriage that he always encounters in the numerous adult audiences he addresses. He provides thoughtful responses that present Catholic Church teaching in a fresh, thoroughly appealing, and convincing manner. It offers readers an easily readable, down-to-earth, and stimulating account of the reasons why the Church's teaching on sex and marriage is true, and, because it is true, good news for people today.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christopher West is an adjunct professor of the Institute of Priestly Formation in Omaha, and a visiting professor of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Melbourne, Australia. His books, extensive lecturing, and numerous tapes have sparked an international groundswell of interest in John Paul II's Theology of the Body. He and his wife, Wendy, have three children.

From AudioFile

Based largely on Pope John Paul's "theology of the body," West's message is that sexual bonding is an aspect of Christ's connection to His Church on earth. Read with youthful enthusiasm by Paul Smith, the program discusses the Christian practice of cloaking sexual impulses in spiritual imagery and promoting strategies for managing such impulses. In West's confusing view of the Church's teachings about homosexuality, being gay is not a sin, but it is evil, a deviation from God's plan, and a sign of man's fallen nature! Still, the writing sounds less punitive than some religious approaches to sex and might help people who are desperate for some outside authority to manage this part of their lives. T.W. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Servant Books; Revised edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867166193
• ISBN-13: 978-0867166194
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Gender & Sexuality

More About the Author

Christopher West is widely recognized for his work popularizing John Paul II's theology of the body. His books (Good News About Sex & Marriage and Theology of the Body Explained), extensive lecturing, and numerous tapes have sparked an international groundswell of interest in the subject. Christopher teaches the theology of the body at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, the Institute of Priestly Formation in Omaha, and at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, Australia. He and his wife Wendy live in Pennsylvania with their three children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 89 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book stands out November 6, 2000

By "new_advent"

Format:Paperback

I'm unimpressed with most Catholic sex books -- they're either too sappy and prudishly vague, or too clinical, or try to be too cute in their orientation toward teens, or are just plain heterodox.

This one is different. It's frank, without being prurient. It's clear. It's written for grown-ups. And best of all, from its sound practical advice to its soaring theological reflection, it's thoroughly Catholic.

Archbishop Chaput said it best: "Do the Church -- and yourself -- a favor: Read and reread this book. Encourage everyone you know to do the same."

53 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Regaining Lost Virginity January 2, 2002

By Michael Angelo Faulkner

Format:Paperback

I have searched and searched for several decades for a true meaning of human sexuality. I found secular teachers disappointing in their promises of physical pleasures and Christian writers just as disappointing when addressing the soul. No one seemed to present sexuality and marriage in a more cosmic sense of what is really taking place. Christopher West does an outstanding job of introducing us to the Pope's explosive thinking on the total human person - body, soul and spirit. How awesome we really are! And how critically wonderful our sexuality is.

West does a fine job of showing how we can understand our nuptial life in marriage in the context of Baptism and the Eucharist. Of considering the nuptial embrace to be meant to occur in the light with eyes wide open, both spouses celebrating and reaffirming their vows over and over. After absorbing West's work, I encourage you to delve into John Paul's "The Theology of the Body" and "Love and Responsibility".

I do like West stepping forward and away from the euphimisims that plague most Catholic texts on human sexuality. The Cathechism refers to "acts proper and exclusive to marriage". West actually goes further and addresses parts of the genitalia and to oral and anal sex. He meets us where we are, i.e., in the midst of a culture that shows no reserve about sex and relationships. And helps one to sort it all out.

I do have one reservation about his book though. I sense that he is presenting the Pope's teaching and his own views at the same time. But where does the Pope leave off and West continue? This is why I am also reading the Pope's on words as well.

My wife and I have recently been reunited in our marriage of 32 years after an eight year separation. We have been so impressed with the Pope's teaching as presented by West that we agreed to continue our marriage using this book as the basis for our sexual life.

One last note. Some may resist the Pope's, indeed the Church's, teaching on sex and marriage. Some may say that they must understand before they accept this teaching. Interestingly, wisdom does not work that way. Rather, I have learned to allow wisdom to embrace me and through this obedience I then understand its practicality and effectiveness. West's book is wisdom presented very well!

43 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource on Sex and Marriage November 29, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This is an excellent resource for anyone desiring to know what the Catholic Church really teaches about sex and marriage. It is clear and concise, and answers lots of tough questions. Christopher West does an excellent job of bringing John Paul II's "Theology of the Body" to the people. What a great way for readers to discover the "nuptial meaning of the body" from an internationally recognized speaker on the subject!

The chapters of this book clearly build upon one another, starting with "The Great Mystery: Laying the Foundation." Subsequent chapters cover Church Authority, Basics of Marriage, Chastity Outside of Marriage, Chastity within Marriage, Contraception, Reproductive Technologies, Same-Sex Attraction, and Sex and the Celibate Vocation.

I would highly recommend this book to parents, married or engaged couples, Catholic teachers, marriage preparation ministers, or anyone desiring to know more about authentic Catholic teaching on sex and marriage.